The Trainer Challenge
by Fornara
Summary: Team Plasma's threat has passed, and things are back to normal in Unova. But with nothing to fight for, and little real challenge at the Gyms, what will the residents of Unova do? Engage in a region-wide race to become the best Trainer from the start! DISCONTINUED FOR NOW
1. Chapter 1: Delivery

**Hey, it's Fornara...submitting something at long last. I apologize for the shortness of this chapter – it's more explanatory than anything else – and the rest of this will become clear as the story moves along. I hope you enjoy what's here, though, and I hope you come back for more!**

_ I've heard from several of you now, that there are very few challenges in being a Leader anymore. Complaints of this have reached my ears many times (Chili, Iris, I'm looking at you) and I finally have an idea on how to beat this boredom problem. As many of you already know, I've seen a few other regions, and I've collected a bunch of new Pokemon – almost none of which you've ever seen. My proposition is simple, should you choose to accept the challenge. _

_ I have eleven Pokemon Eggs on hand right now, one of each containing a Pokemon of the Type you specialize in. It will be up to you to hatch these Eggs and raise the creatures inside. Ah, but this seems too easy – just to hatch and raise a Pokemon, the very thing you've been doing for most of your lives. So, there are a few restrictions!_

_You may only battle with the Pokemon you receive at any given time, with the exception of extremely important battles (Gym challenges, Elitist challenges, long-since-planned battles, etc)._

_If word reaches me of foul play (sabotaging a fellow competitor's battle, mistreating your Pokemon, etc) the Pokemon will become mine once more, and you will be disqualified._

_You have free rein to travel where you like in Unova, but you may not leave the region._

_The challenge is complete when you have successfully defeated all of the other competitors. _

_ And on to some questions you may have in consideration to the rules._

_When you have completed the challenge, you are no longer bound by the rules, but when a fellow competitor who has not finished the challenge comes to you to battle, you must oblige them. In these battles, the same rules as previous apply – you may use only the Pokemon you were given._

_When you have completed the challenge, it is entirely up to you what you do with the Pokemon. You may keep it (which I expect you'll most likely do) or return it to me. If you choose to keep the Pokemon, I will continue to pay for its upkeep (as I will throughout the challenge itself) but if you abuse it, I will kick your butt to next week and reclaim the Pokemon._

_This is an open contest, though only you and a select few others will receive this letter. However, anyone may join in. This does not mean you have to battle them to finish the challenge as well – you only need to beat the original contestants. If there's anyone you'd like to invite into the game, feel free – I'll breed a Pokemon for them as well. This means the Elite Four may also be joining the game, and if they do, they will be counted as some of the original contestants._

_Also – in those cases where you absolutely cannot separate with your partner Pokemon, you may keep them with you, but they may not battle. This rule, quite frankly, was created for Iris's sake. Be grateful, Ponytail. (I'm messing with you.)_

_In the case that you lose a battle, no penalties will be held against you, and you do not need to re-battle previously defeated competitors. Just heal your Pokemon, and have another go._

_I only pay for the overall upkeep of the given Pokemon – food, water, intensive care. I do not pay for stat-boosters or TM's. That must come out of your own money, if you want to use those._

_ In conclusion, I'll say this – if you want to participate, swing by my place in Nuvema Town. It shouldn't be too hard to find. May luck be with you._

_ -Cade Esprit Lato_

Cade smiled, swiping the eighteen copies of the letter off of her PC's printer, somewhat amused by the fact that they were still warm. She checked around the room, found her envelopes, and began sticking the letters inside.

As a fairly young Trainer, fourteen years old, with moderately long tawny hair and bluish-gray eyes, Cade had done more than most Trainers her age. She had conquered the Elite Four, completely obliterated Team Plasma (with some help, of course), and traveled to several other regions. Recently she'd just been rematching with the Gym Leaders, and utterly shaming them each time with her overly-trained team.

Of course, they had issues with this – being constantly whipped by a girl who had a five-year-old's mindset was a little disconcerting if it happened one time too many. On occasion they would voice their thoughts, and the idea for this challenge had slowly come to her. She'd gone on a bit of a breeding spree, collecting Pokemon that matched the type of specialty and general personality of each Leader. And now, after some serious work, she was ready to unveil the project.

The said eleven Eggs (and a few more) sat in one corner of Cade's bedroom, moving every so often. Cade finished her task and walked over to these Eggs, resting her hand on the one closest to her. "Hope you guys have a good home soon. If not...you're stuck with me." She smiled softly, and moved away. She pushed the eighteen envelopes into her bag (which had been thrown dejectedly onto Cade's unmade bed) and slung it over her shoulder, briefly pawing through it to check that everything was still in order. "And...set."

It took her all of ten seconds to be down the stairs and out the door, blowing past her adoptive mother and leaving her reeling. She yanked a Pokeball off the belt at her side, looking through the top to see the curled-up shape of her Archeops, Deseo. She kept her eyes on the snake-like bird for a bit longer before tossing the ball out, releasing him in a flash of light.

His reptilian head swiveled to face her, and for once the usually-grumpy Pokemon's expression was excited. 'Finally delivering the letters, are we?' Cade grinned and nodded, climbing between Deseo's shoulder-blades. "We're all set. First stop, Striaton City, if you will!"

The Archeops took off running, and leaped into the air, the caresses of the wind lifting the two higher and higher. Cade looked down, watching her hometown of Nuvema get smaller and smaller. "Man, I love flying..." she stated quietly. Deseo growled beneath her – it was his odd form of laughing.

'You amuse me, Cade.'

"Well, good! That's what I always intend to do."

A few more minutes saw Striaton City coming into view, and Deseo dove down close to the restaurant that housed Unova's first Gym. Cade jumped off of her bird's back, and he landed beside her. With a grateful nod, she gestured for him to stay where he was, and she slipped into the Gym quietly. A few minutes she came back out, her bag one letter lighter than it had been. She hopped back onto her Archeops' back, and they were off for Nacrene City.

The rest of the deliveries were much the same, just a quick stop to either leave the letter with the Leader or leave it someplace they'd find it. Then came the harder part – Cade and Deseo had to locate their moving targets.

Sarah and Cheren – the two Trainers who'd accompanied Cade on her original journey – had been wandering Unova and training for some time, and it was near-impossible to find them at any given time. Sometimes they would go to certain places on routine, and it was these places Cade hoped to meet up with them.

Cheren, for example, would commonly pop up near the summit of Victory Road at night, and it wasn't too odd to see him hanging around the Nacrene City museum, since it was full of books. Sarah, however, was harder to anticipate – she would fly all over Unova with Kage (the name she'd fondly given to Zekrom) and that was the only place Cade could really catch her.

Deseo was rising higher and higher into the sky, using thermals to get more lift whenever possible. 'I believe that is a big black dragon, and I believe it has a Sarah,' Deseo said expressionlessly, and this made Cade buckle over with laughter (much to Deseo's confusion). The large bird glided over to the dragon, careful not to get too close, and Cade began yelling and waving frantically at her friend.

The black haired girl looked over at the commotion, chocolate-brown eyes curious. "What's up?" she called casually, and Cade waved one of the letters around in the air, chiming in a mechanic voice, "You've got mail!" Deseo shot over Zekrom, and Cade dropped the letter over Sarah's head. The girl caught it and popped it open, and Deseo zipped off, headed for Victory Road.

"Man, you always seem to know where to go, don't you? Are you psychic?"

'For the millionth time, Cade, no. You are just unbelievably predictable.'

"...Shut up and let me have my fun," Cade complained, tucking the Archeops upside the head. 'You asked the question, genius...'

**This story will circulate, switching POVs with each chapter. There will be at least one chapter for each competitor, and this goes for OC's, too! If you want your OC to join in the competition, then fill this out and throw me a PM with its details!**

**Name:**

**Gender:**

**Age:**

**Challenge Pokemon: (Cannot be from Unova, and will start in its basic form. No Legendaries unless I say otherwise, for the time being)**

**Personality: (You can leave this blank if you don't really care, but it would add some spice to the story if we knew what your character was like!)**

**Appearance: (Pic or description.)**

**Other: (Pretty much anything else that defines your character.)**

**Example:**

**Name: Cade Esprit Lato**

**Gender: Female**

**Age: 14**

**Challenge Pokemon: Eevee (Nickname – Reese. Female.)**

**Personality: Spunky and oblivious to danger. Can be a little ADHD at times, and is almost always running. Has a dangerous vulnerability to mood swings.**

**Appearance: Tall and lanky, with medium-length brown hair (usually tied back in a loose ponytail) and bluish-gray eyes. She dons a lavender-colored t-shirt with a black vest, and khaki cargo pants with about a million pockets.**

**Other: She is adopted – her mother is dead, father unknown. She can talk to Pokemon, which just tops off her oddness. **

**And that's about it! The next chapter should be out fairly soon... Just a warning, my chapter posts are a bit erratic. I will try to post often, but there will probably never be a defined date that a chapter will come out.**


	2. Chapter 2: Chili

**Hello, Chapter two! This is not going to be the POV of one of the many OC's to be introduced, but rather that of a Gym Leader. Entering the race first is Chili! Oh, and guess what I forgot to mention, being the piece of genius I am? I didn't put in the disclaimer. ' So I'll say it now, and let everyone know it goes for the rest of the story.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokemon or any of its concepts. At all. Ever.**

"You're seriously considering joining this crazy game?" Cress inquired, an eyebrow raised. Cilan stood beside him, expression equally skeptical.

"It sound interesting. It's true, you know – name the last time a challenger defeated any of us." Chili retorted, crossing his arms in annoyance. He honestly thought that Cade's idea could prove to be more than just another crazy concept. However, Cress and Cilan found it to be stupid.

"Interesting is a word you could use, but this is Cade who came up with the challenge. Who knows what could happen?" Cress pointed out – it was a well-known fact in Unova that Cade was unpredictable at the best of times. Chili shrugged. "The letter stated very clearly how the contest worked, so I don't think there's much room for error. I'm just going to humor her. Who knows, maybe somebody else will join in."

With that he turned, exiting the Striaton Gym. His brothers stared, almost dumb-founded, after him. "He's lost it." Chili could hear one of them saying. He ignored this, resisting the urge to turn back around and tell them exactly why they were wrong.

Taking off into Route 2, he jumped ledges to bypass most of the grass. A quick jaunt through Accumula Town and some more ledge-hopping in Route 1 saw him to the sleepy Nuvema Town. He looked around a little awkwardly, feeling out of place and unsure of where to go. _It shouldn't be too hard to find Cade's house...this is a little place. _

He walked around a bit aimlessly between the houses, getting the occasional odd look from the other residents. Finally, a young boy came up and tapped Chili on the back.

"Excuse me sir, are you looking for Cade?"

"Actually, yes. Do you know where I could find her?"

"Uh-huh. She lives in the house closest to Professor Juniper's lab. She's been talking a lot about a Trainer game, so I thought you might be here about that." the boy said, and with a quick nod to Chili, he darted off again.

"Well, then..." he muttered to himself, setting off in the direction of the Professor's lab. "One problem down." He found the house quickly, and gathered the nerve to knock on the front door. A tall, blonde-haired lady answered, her eyes widening for just a moment when she recognized the visitor. "Oh, hello. It seems like Cade is going through with this, after all..."

Chili merely nodded, and the lady rushed off upstairs to retrieve her daughter. Cade came flying down the stairs, clearing them in three huge jumps. "Heya, Chili!" she called amiably, skidding to a halt in front of the door. "You joining the contest?" Again, Chili nodded, and Cade grinned. "Got it. I'll go get the Egg."

She was up and down the stairs again in no time, and she returned with a small green-speckled Egg under one arm. Cade zipped up to Chili, shifting the Egg so it rested in both of her arms. "A little Fire-Type is going to hatch from this...I hope you treat the Pokemon well."

She held out the Egg, and Chili took it tentatively, growing less and less sure about his decision with each passing moment. "Who has joined the challenge so far?"

"You're the first to swing by, but Elesa, Iris, and Skyla are joining for sure – they were just a little too busy to swing by yesterday. They'll come by either today or tomorrow. Sarah and Cheren are in, too." Cade replied, looking down at her bag now and pawing through it. She quickly located what she was looking for – a lighter. She held it up in front of her face, her expression excited and a little worrying.

"What's that for?" Chili quipped, and Cade shook her head. "Something I've got to show you and anyone else who joins the competition. Come with me for a second," she answered, leading the Fire-Type Leader to a shadowy spot by the edge of town. "Put the Egg down here for just a second, okay?"

Chili obeyed, and Cade fiddled with the lighter for a minute in irritation, unable to draw a flame from its tip. "Dang...thing...won't..." she growled. Chili rolled his eyes, swiped the lighter, and had a flame lit at its top in less than a second. Cade glared at him for a minute (Chili grinned smugly at this) but she shook this off, making her next order.

"Hold that behind the Egg, and look through it. It's a little tough, but you can see the Pokemon in the Egg." She watched as Chili followed through, raising an eyebrow as he caught sight of the baby Pokemon's faint outline.

"What is that?" he asked, flicking his crimson eyes over to Cade. The girl smiled a little, crossing her arms. "As said, that's your to-be contest Pokemon. It's a species generally native only to Johto – Cyndaquil. It evolves twice before hitting its final form, and it's a nasty little sucker in battle."

The Gym Leader nodded, turning back to the Egg. The shape of the little Cyndaquil twisted in the Egg's shell, and the Egg itself wobbled a little.

"It'll take some time, but the Egg will hatch, and you'll be set." Cade commented, playing with the Pokeballs on her belt absently. Chili passed the lighter back to Cade, picking up his Egg again. "Do I need to do anything when the Egg hatches?"

"Not really. Make sure the Cyndaquil is fed and such, and I'd advise you not to start working it until it's had a chance to get to know you." Cade shrugged as she spoke, pushing the lighter back into her bag.

Chili only spent a little longer there before heading back to Striaton – now battling was inevitable, so he sent out Pansear to handle the fighting. The fire monkey pounced at the Egg, curiously poking it. "Seeear?"

"This is going to be the newest team member, Pansear. I won't be able to battle with you for a while when I'm training it, okay?"

"Paansear, paan." Pansear groaned, crossing his arms and hopping back down to the ground to walk beside Chili. Irritation was evident on the little Pokemon's face. Chili ignored this, walking quickly into the grass and tucking the Cyndaquil Egg under his arm.

A half-hour and several battles saw Chili back to Striaton City, whose streets were still fairly empty. Standing in front of the Gym, awaiting his arrival, was Cress. The other boy had his arms crossed, but he didn't seem at all annoyed – more curious than anything, and a little apprehensive.

Chili approached him a little warily, expecting him to disapprove on the spot. He shifted the Egg into both arms, and waited for Cress to object to its presence.

"So, this game...did Cade say anything else about it? Who's joined so far?" Cress quipped, eyes locked on the Egg.

"Elesa, Iris, Skyla and I are the Leaders who have joined...and those kids Sarah and Cheren are in on it, too. I was the first to drop by." Chili answered, then spoke again, his words almost an afterthought. "I don't really think this is a joke anymore. Cade was pretty serious when she gave me the Egg."

Cress nodded, his expression changing to one of thought. After a minute or two, he uncrossed his arms. "I'm going to join." he said, his voice very matter-of-fact. Chili raised an eyebrow – he hadn't expected Cress to give in.

"Are you serious? What happened to it being a stupid idea?"

"You're right. I'm still not sure what Cade's playing at, but it doesn't seem like it will hurt to give this a try. It might be fun." Cress smiled a little, warming to the concept. "Do you know what kind of Pokemon you've got?"

"Cade called it a Cyndaquil. If we go inside, I can show you something cool with a lighter..."

**And Chili officially has his contest Pokemon! The next few chapters are mostly going to be OC POVs. Our submitted contestants – Tori, belonging to PT Yellow, and Kyrox and Claire, belonging to Zexiontwo. Thanks for joining, guys!**


	3. Chapter 3: Tori

**Chapter three, folks! And that means Tori is going to be introduced into the game! I've been excited about doing the OC's...hope you enjoy this! Oh yeah, it's got to be said – most of the time I will finish chapters one after the other, but I only have time to edit and post one of them before my laptop is...'confiscated'. Whenever possible, I will post as much as possible.**

"Look, guys! We're almost to the dock!" Tori called, gripping the handrails tightly with excitement. Her five Pokemon – Riolu, Poochyena, Vulpix, Eevee, and Mareep – all rushed to their Trainer, staring at the approaching city with a few excited cries.

Castelia City was not necessarily the most exciting thing they'd ever seen, but it came pretty close – the flashing lights, bustling civilians, and huge structures held up the city's reputation of touching the sky well. The boat that was coming into port was moving very quickly, hardly slowing at all as it glided into Unity Pier. It bumped gently up against the cement walkway, now bobbing more that it was sitting still.

Tori got off the boat with the other passengers, and wasted no time exploring the city, her Pokemon following her closely. She dashed up and down the streets, marveling at the sights, and she finally came to the Gym's street, where an oddly dressed man seemed to be in a heated discussion with a younger girl – she looked to be about fourteen.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Tori drew a little closer, lingering near the two to hear what they were saying. Her Pokemon milled noiselessly around by her feet, sensing the need to stay quiet.

"If I've said it once, I've said it a million times. I can't tell you what's in the Egg unless you choose to join the competition. It set up the challenge, making it so you don't know what you're working with."

"I can see the point behind this, but why must it be so secretive? At least give me an idea before I join."

"It's a Bug-type, obviously, and it's from Hoenn. That's all I can give you." the girl said, shrugging helplessly. The man sighed, uncrossing his arms. "I'm joining. Do I need to go to Nuvema to get that Egg?"

"Nope!" The girl said cheerfully, reaching into her shoulderbag. "I've got it here. I figured when you called me to discuss it that you would be joining, so I brought the Egg along just in case." She pulled out a green-flecked Egg, holding it hesitantly or a minute. "Are you sure you want to join?"

"Yes."

"Then here you go." The Egg passed hands, and the girl dug in her pocket until she found a lighter. The man seemed a little confused and worried by this. "Hold out the Egg, please," the girl said, and the request was followed out. After a few tries the girl had a flame and was holding it up next to the Egg. "Look, Burgh. Can you see the Pokemon?"

"Yes!" The man looked delighted by this, staring at the Egg. The girl smiled, and closed the lighter. "That was a baby Anorith. You probably don't know it, but it's a supposed Fossil Pokemon. It evolves once, and its physical attacks are its strong point. That Egg should hatch pretty soon – two days, tops. I've got to start heading back to Nuvema, because Elesa's going to be dropping by pretty soon, and you know how impatient she can be."

Both man and girl laughed at this – _an inside joke? _Tori wondered. After the man walked off and the girl started to, she approached the girl cautiously – she just had to ask. "Um, excuse me. What was that contest you were talking about?"

The girl grinned brightly at Tori, apparently not bothered at all by her eavesdropping. "I call it the Trainer Challenge. Since things around Unova were hectic for a while, people got used to being busy training and battling, but then the problem was resolved and everyone's bored senseless. So I came up with this sort of challenge to pass the time and test skills as a Trainer."

Tori was intrigued by this – she'd never heard anything like it before, aside from the Nuzlocke Challenge. "How does it work?"

The girl grinned even wider, apparently seeing where Tori was headed. "Well, for starters, it's an open contest, even though only a few people were told about it. The basic rules are this – you can only fight with the contest Pokemon, and you have to beat all the original contestants to finish."

"Well...if it's open..." Tori was very interested in this competition and wanted to join in, but she'd only just gotten to Unova. Her team wouldn't be able to battle with her. Her Riolu bumped up against her, red eyes wide and excited. Clearly the little Pokemon wanted her to join, and judging from the cries from her other Pokemon, they agreed.

The girl laughed, kneeling down and rubbing the Pokemon. "You guys think so?" She was met by several cries, and she laughed some more. "Want me to tell her?" The cries grew even louder. The girl stood again, sticking out her hand. "Forgot to introduce myself. I'm Cade Lato."

_Where did that come from...? That was an abrupt subject change..._ "Um...Tori." she said, not willing to give out her last name to this odd stranger. Cade smiled, looking back at Tori's Pokemon. "Just so you know, your Pokemon wanted me to tell you some stuff. Riolu says he can tell that you want to join and go for it, and the rest of them say pretty much the same thing. And Mareep wants a snack."

Tori shot this Cade person a lopsided look – she was acting like she understood the Pokemon. "Um...okay." Cade noticed her discomfort, and smacked her forehead. "Oh, sorry. Most everybody here knows I talk to Pokemon, my bad. I should have explained that. So do you want to join the contest?"

"...Sure. I'm in." Tori replied, after a pause. Her Vulpix began bouncing up and down, letting out several thrilled yips. Cade smiled, her expression a little clouded now. "I've got an Egg at home that you could have. But you seem new to the region...If you stick around town, I can run back to my place and go get it. Sound okay?"

Since Tori knew next to nothing about this new region, she readily agreed – she wasn't ready to move beyond the activity of Castelia. Cade nodded, and saluted briefly to her. "I wish you luck. Oh, and here's the rules – they're pretty simple." she said, handing Tori a folded-up piece of paper before disappearing into the crowd.

A few minutes later, Tori had found a bench big enough to fit her and her Pokemon, who were all trying to glimpse the opened paper. Tori read over the rules quickly – as Cade had said, they didn't seem too difficult, and her team could still be with her during the journey – she wouldn't have to box them away.

She cast a quick glance up, and could have sworn she saw a white dragon, but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. She shrugged this off, and spent some time wandering around Castelia City. The bustle still didn't fail to amaze her, and half an hour later the bustle nearly made her miss the sound of her name being called.

"Tori! Over here!" Tori spun to see Cade, waving at her on the edge of the path. She and her Pokemon made their way over to the odd girl, who now had an Egg – an unusually small one – tucked under her arm. "This is your Egg. The Pokemon inside – Pachirisu – should hatch really soon."

Tori took the proffered Egg, mildly surprised by its warmth. And as she expected, Cade whipped out that lighter of hers, and the instant she did Tori held out the Egg. Cade seemed pleased by this, and after some more toil, she lit the little device and held it behind the egg.

"Do you see the Pachirisu?" she asked, her blue eyes bright and excited. Tori looked a little closer, and she could make out the shape of the little Pokemon. Now she knew why Cade was so eager to show everyone this. "That...is cool."

Tori began to say something else, but the Egg lurched suddenly, and she had to dash to catch it. Cade laughed, though her eyes gave away her panic. "Nice catch. Careful, it moves a lot, and it'll only get more active as it gets close to hatching." Tori nodded, her gray eyes wide.

Cade looked down at the X-Transceiver on her wrist, and her eyes widened. "Oh snap, gotta fly. If anything comes up, give me a call! Have fun in Unova!" With that, she sprinted off, and Tori couldn't help but be a little amazed at how fast she could get going. When the girl disappeared, she looked down at her Egg, which was moving just a little.

Eevee jumped up onto her shoulder, poking the Egg gently with a tawny paw. "Eeeevee? Eeeeui." she commented briefly, and nodded almost as if in approval. Tori sat down where she was so the other Pokemon could see the Egg for themselves, and all of them poked it at least five times.

Tori was just getting ready to get up and leave when the Egg wobbled violently. Poochyena let out a howl, now circling his Trainer in agitation. The top of the Egg cracked a little, drawing Tori's attention immediately. "It's...Cade wasn't kidding."

The Egg proceeded to crack some more, the fractures crawling down its sides and getting bigger. A soft squeak came from inside the shell, and a small white paw poked through it. Tori remained silent as the paw drew back and made some more holes, and finally a tiny white and blue head broke free.

"Chii!" The small cry came from the newborn Pokemon, which was now trying its hardest to pull its whole body out of a hole only big enough for its head. This made Tori laugh a little, and she pulled off a little of the shell, expanding the hole just enough for the electric squirrel to tumble out into her lap.

It looked up, big brown eyes squinted in the light. "Chiii?" he asked curiously, latching onto his tail and cuddling it. "Hey, little guy." Tori said softly, running two fingers over the little furry head. "Welcome to the world."

Tori's other Pokemon drew closer, staring excitedly at the new Pokemon and speaking in hushed whispers. The Pachirisu seemed a little overwhelmed by this, and he burrowed his face into Tori's belly. Tori stroked his back, smiling. "Hmm...I'll have to come up with a name for you..."

She thought for a little, petting the baby Pachirisu the entire time. "I don't know, really...how about we just call you Epsilon for the time being?"

**D'awww. Epsilon. I luff the little guy already. Next chapter will center around Claire! **


End file.
